A method of the above kind is, for example, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,471,406. In this known method, the geometric data of geometric elements of the workpiece are transferred by a computer to the control system of the coordinate measuring apparatus. In the control system, the geometric data are transferred to the machine coordinate system and transmitted to an interpolator in the control system which generates the position desired values along which the probe head of the coordinate measuring apparatus is control driven. The position desired values are generated in such a manner that the probe head and the probe pin of the coordinate measuring apparatus is moved from an actual position, which lies outside of the surface of the workpiece on a straight line to the first contact point where the probe pin (that is, the probe ball attached to the probe pin) touches down on the surface of the workpiece. The probe pin deflection is so controlled that it corresponds to a preselected probe pin deflection. Thereafter, and in a next step, the measurement of the workpiece to be measured is recorded.
Particular to the method is that the probe head must first come to a complete standstill before the actual measuring operation can begin because, to measure the first contact point (that is, the start point of the measurement), a defined probe pin deflection must be set. In the same manner, the probe pin in conventional methods would be braked to a complete standstill at the end of the scanning operation and then brought via different straight line paths to the next scan point. Here too, the probe head is braked to standstill because of the transition from one straight line path to a new straight line path which is at an angle to the first straight line path.